Electrical switch



March 31,- 1942. H wlLLlAMS ETAL 2,277,671

ELECTRICAL SWITCH Filed Jun 24, 1940 ATTOR N EYS Patented Mar. 31, 1942 ELECTRICAL SWITCH Herman lWilliams and Lee A. Williams,

Huntington, W. Va.

Aispication June 24, 1940, seria1No.34z,1s4

(ci. zoo-s) 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in electrical switches and is primarily designed to permit the disconnecting of an automobile battery from a point remote from the battery.

The primary object of the invention resides in the provision of an electric switch to which the ground cable of an" automobile battery is connected and including means to be operated from the driver's seat of the automobile to disconnect the battery to thereby break the circuit to the igiition for preventing operation of the automobile.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a switch of this character wherein the same can be conveniently mounted regardless of the location of the battery with respect to the driver's seat, a portion of the switch casing acting as a ground for the battery but under control from the driver's seat for making and breaking the circuit to the ignition.

The advantages of the switch as constructed in accordance with the present invention are many, some of which are the preventing of current leakage with a consequent drain upon the battery. especially when the vehicle is idle, to prevent the hazard of a nre in case of a short Y circuit in the electric system, as a protection against the unauthorized use of the vehicle, and numerous other advantages which will be readily apparent from an inspection of the drawing and a consideration of the following specication.

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms i a part of the application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a vehicle illustrating the switch in use.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line l-I of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line l-B of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line I--S of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description thereof, a portion of an automobilel bodyis generally designated by the reference numeral I, in the present instance. indicating the hood of the'automobile, a portion of the frame being indicated at l. The battery Il is conventionally mounted beneath the hood, the ground plug and cable being indicated at l I. The ground cable is generally fastened to the frame of the vehicle but as will be hereinafter apparent, the present invention provides for attachment of said cable to the switch.

The improved switch includes a substantially rectangular-shaped housing generally designated by the reference numeral I2 closed by means of a cover i3, said cover forming a top and end wall Il and i5, respectively, for the housing. As will be hereinafter apparent, the housing is to be mounted on the frame of the automobile in close proximity to the battery, the relation of which is readily apparent from an inspection of Figure l of the drawing.

Threaded posts IVGv and I1, respectively, extend from each side wall of the housing, the post I8 adapted to receive the battery ground cable Il and the post I1 extends through the frame of the vehicle for grounding the switch housing. The post i1 further serves as a. means of attaching the housing I2 to the frame of the automobile as more clearly shown in Figure l of the drawing. When attaching the housing the lock nut il and washer i9 are removed and said post is inserted through an opening 2l appropriately formed in the frame 9. The washer i! is then replaced and the nut Il locked against said washer, the nut 2i maintaining the housing spaced from the frame 9 as more clearly shown in Figure 6 of the drawing.

The post i8 is insulated from the housing I2 vby means of a. washer 22 and mounted adjacent said insulating washer are a lock washer 21 and lock nut 24. The ground cable il from the rbattery is disposed over the post i6 adjacent -the lock nut 24 and is held thereon by means of the washer 25 and lock nut 26. Thus it will be seen that the battery Il has a ground connection to the frame of the vehicle through the respective posts Il and I1.

Wedge-shaped contact blocks 21 and 28 areI carried by the posts Iiand i1, respectively, being disposed within the housing i2 and are stationarily mounted within said housing. A central wedge-shaped contact block 29 is movably held between the blocks 21 and 28 and when in the position shown in Figure 3 of the drawing the battery isvgrounded to the frame of the vehicle through the housing. However, the block 29 is movable when desiring to disconnect the battery thereby breaking the ground connection to the frame, the means for actuating the block 20 to be hereinafter more fully described.

One feature of the present invention also provides for the provision of a connection for attaching the generator wire from the switch box to the generator cut out to ground the generator simultaneously with disconnecting the battery. A screw threaded post .30 projects from the side wall of the housing to which the threaded post Il is attached, the former being suitably insulated by means of the washers 3|. A nut 32 is threadedly mounted on the post 30 for clamping the connection 32 from the generator to the post. The post 3U supports a substantially U-shaped spring 33 within the housing, said spring adapted to be compressed when moving the contact block 23 out of engagement with the contact blocks 21 and 28 to ground the generator.

The contact block 29 is suspended on a pin 34 which extends through the side walls of the nous ing adjacent the upper end thereof. An arm 35 is mounted on the pin 34 and extends through a slot formed in the central contact block 29, the lower end of said arm projecting through a transverse slot 35 formed in the bottom wall of the housing. Movement of the arm 35 effects engagement and disengagement of the central i block 29 with the blocks 21 and 28. A spring 31 has its intermediate portion surrounding the pin 34 and a portion 38 thereof in contact with the depending arm 35 to effect suicient tension when actuating the central contact 29. The ends of the spring 31 are in engagement with portions 39 projecting from the sid walls of the housing.

The arm 35 is to be actuated from the drivers seat .of the automobile when desiring to disconnect the battery, and for accomplishing this purpose there is provided a flexible housing 40 through which extends a wire cable 4|, one end of the flexible housing being suitably clamped as indicated at 42 to an extension 43 of the housing I2, the other end of the exble housing being mounted as indicated at 44 to the instrument panel 450i the vehicle. The wire cable, which extends through the flexible housing 40, is provided at one end with a knob 46 and the other end thereof passes through an opening 41 formed in the free end of the arm 35 and has attached thereto a block 48. Pulling outwardly on the wire 4| by means of the knob 46 will move said wire through the flexible housing to bring the block 48 into contact with the end 49 of the arm 35 and a continued pull will effect movement of the arm against the tension of the spring 31 from the full line to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5 of the drawing. As the arm moves on its pivot pin 34 the central switch block 29 will be disengaged from the contact blocks 21 and 23 thereby disconnecting the battery. Continued movement of the wedge-shaped block outwardly will bring it in contact with the spring 33 to compress the same against the head of the threaded post 30 to ground the generator simultaneously with the disconnecting of the battery. If the generator were not disconnected, the motor would continue to operate from the generator current. `Thus grounding the generator precludes this possibility. When desiring to againconnect the battery, the wire cable 4| is pushed inwardly through its flexible housing 4U to move the arm 35 and central contact block 29. The tension spring 31 aidsin returning the central contact block into operative contact with the blocks 21 and 28. Of course, as soon as the central contact block 29 is moved toward the blocks 21 and 28, pressure on the spring 33 will be released to permit normal functioning of the generator.

Also it will be understood, of course, by those skilled in the art that variations in the hereinabove described device involving the substitution of substantial equivalents for the devices described are intended to be comprehended within the spirit of the present invention and that the invention is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawing nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therein as do not affect the spirit o! the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a switch of the character described, a casing of current conductive material, a pair of complementary contact members mounted within the easing, a binding post connected with one of the said contact members and extending through the casing for connecting the said contact member and the casing with a ground contact, a second binding post connected with the complementary contact member and extending through the casing for connection with a wire from a battery, the said last mentioned binding post being insulated from the said casing, a generator terminal post extended through the casing and having its outer end connected with a generator wire. the

said generator terminal post being insulated from the casing, a contact member secured to the generator terminal post and disposed in the casing, an arm of conductive material pivotally and electrically connected with the casing, and a movable contact member secured to the said arm operable to engage the complementary contact members to ground the battery connection `and movable to an off position disconnected from the complementary contact members to engage the generator contact member to ground the generator terminal through the casing.

HERMAN WILLIAMS.

LEE A. WILLIAMS. 

